Ms.Huxtable Posted May 16, 2005 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 Okay I heard a couple more resent shows and I have to say I'm hearing a marked improvement from the first few shows. I expect them to be music to my ears pretty darn soon.Interesting comments Deep. I don't think that Trey should scraps the songs he used to do, but totally agree that doing them in the style that he did with the old line-up is a bit of a daunting task and leaves the song sounding like it's missing something. Keep the songs, they're great, but use a different approach that suits this line-up better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomFoolery Posted May 16, 2005 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 I'm giving this latest show a listen right now (46 Days) and I can't say I find it offensive yet.Trey really did a number on his voice in the last five years, but the music so far is pretty decent. No Phish, but I'm not waiting for that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-towns Posted May 16, 2005 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 I ve listened to a couple, but I havent found a good recoding yet, what would you hippies recommend for sound quality? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del Posted May 16, 2005 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 Which ones (including sources) have you heard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-towns Posted May 16, 2005 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 it would prolly be easier if you just recommended some.I know that one with all the beatles tunes was one that sounded like crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-towns Posted May 16, 2005 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 ha. maybe it was the beatles though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted May 17, 2005 Report Share Posted May 17, 2005 in light of Deeps' excellent account, I wanted to offer a little more to my thoughts than just "disappointed". Also, acknowldeging that whereas Deeps actually went to NYC to see the Red Rooster, I am sitting here listening, so I in no way want to devalue his experience, but I do have troubles with Trey’s new project, based on what I am hearing.Why do I feel this way? Well, I admit it is a bit convuluted. For context, I have now listened to 4/1 (Winooski), 4/27 (Richmond), 4/29 (New Orleans), 5/4 (Charlotte) and am now about halfway through 5/13 (NYC). For all the disappointment with Phish calling it quits, I was very much excited to hear what Trey had up his sleeve. I enjoyed the horn-based TAB (and the earlier 3-piece) very much, and I could see how that, and the orchestral projects and Oysterhead, allowed Trey to develop approaches and material that clearly could not develop within the confines of Phish. Now, he says he shut down Phish because they had creatively plateaued and he had to move on to other things. Fair enough, I got it. Things come to an end. No problem. When word got out (through this very board, btw) that Trey was working with, and possibly touring with, the likes of Tony Levin and Jerry Moratta, I was genuinely excited. Trey is really taking things to a new level, yes!!Ok, so that fell through and now Trey has a new band, and I honestly listened to a few shows in all clear clarity, open ears, ready to be moved and also ready to look for potential, this being a new group after all. I was not looking for a replacement for Phish, nor was Phish on my mind, I simply wanted to hear what Trey has been working towards, to share his big moment energing from the shadows of his now defunct band and look forward. I have followed his career for 10 years now and I want him to do well!Upon getting through 4 shows at the time, I found myself with the slapped-in-the-face feeling that Trey has a project on the go with no discernable purpose. And I do not ever want to make excuses for what I’m listening to (“they’ll be better by the end of summer, etc….”). There should be no need for excuses. The playing, while extremely competent, sounds emotionally vapid and sonically hollow to me. The new material, while nothing to be ashamed of (although Trey doesn’t seem to be able to write a melody anymore), does not strike me as anything that couldn’t have been tackled, with a much greater pay-off, by his old band, so again, one wonders, what’s the point? The covers that I have heard are superflous, and in the case of the Charlotte version of “Sledgehammer” and the New Orleans “I Dig A Pony”, actually terribly executed, I mean *bad*. The overall playing is awkward, rushed tempos, funk-less funk, questionable re-arrangments of otherwise top-notch material (see: “Burlap Sack & Pumps”) and all just a flat bed for Trey to indulge his most cumbersome tendencies to wail away like every song is the wind up jam to “Character Zero” or some such wail-a-thon. And, it is true: what’s up with his voice? It’s not like it’s in bad shape, it’s just his singing is off all of a sudden. The acoustic Phish numbers are either an honest attempt to reconnect with old material still relevant for artist or audience alike, or a pandering “reward” for putting up with a band that is still miles away from earning the co-headline spot on a major Summer amphitheatre tour. In either event, nothing I’ve heard from that segment of the show is the least bit interesting to me. One has to wonder if, in light of the Levin/Moratta line-up being shut down, Trey simply had to get *something* together to fulfill his 2005 touring obligations?Which has all been very depressing for me, to be honest. The end result is a new clarity, one that tells me I should wish Mr Anastasio the very best and look to get my kicks elsewhere for a while. Which, in itself, is not so depressing. But the reality for me is, I once found this guy to be on the crest of a wave and now he is just another jamband act on the road, nothing to get me excited about.I hope these comments aren’t seen to be as vibekillers or mere moaning. I really wish I could have written about how fresh and vibrant and fun and new these shows sounded. With all sarcasm, though, I would like to point out that come the end of July, Trey will have performed 46 dates in 45 cities. His album comes out in the Fall, with presumably more touring beyond that. That’s pretty good for a guy who was so “tired” in Phish and wanted to spend more time with his family. What the fuck!?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomFoolery Posted May 17, 2005 Report Share Posted May 17, 2005 Well said MarcO.I would just add that Trey's never had a very good voice. Now its just worse.Phish vocals were tolerable because they would try interesting arrangments that would be challenging to good singers. They weren't good singers. Any of them. However, they pushed the envelope - the whole point of Phish...Very interesting point you bring up about his stated intentions last spring vs. his current actions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted May 17, 2005 Report Share Posted May 17, 2005 "Very interesting point you bring up about his stated intentions last spring vs. his current actions..."Which makes me wonder if this band will remain intact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomFoolery Posted May 17, 2005 Report Share Posted May 17, 2005 Vorcza doesn't seem to be taking too much time off from their development to give Ray time to devote himself to 70 Volt Parade... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave-O Posted May 17, 2005 Report Share Posted May 17, 2005 Just FYI, if you've ever spoken to Ray you'd know that he refers to TAB as "his day job". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now